5 Tips to Conserve your Online Poker Bankroll

Online poker is a slightly different ball game requiring a different approach; the game plays out quicker and the players are stronger. The fact is, online poker requires much more control and discipline than live poker and many people fail to realize it. This article may be of use to those fundamentally good poker players who can’t seem to maintain an online poker bankroll.

Even the best of poker players can be rash in their approach towards managing their online poker bankroll. All it takes is a couple of bad sessions and weeks of hard work at the poker tables go for a toss. People losing at live poker, not surprisingly, find it impossible to maintain an online bankroll. You’ll often hear the same grouse from successful live poker players as well.

1. Play within your Means

The basic tip to save your online poker bankroll is to be aware of your financial limits. The online poker world is full of millions of players who all are your opponents. It is your limited bankroll as against the unlimited bankroll of all these opponents put together. If you are a good poker player, you can hope to net some profits from the game by beating your opponents. However, you must be conservative in utilizing your bankroll at the tables. It is a prudent practice to have less than five percent of your total poker bankroll in play at a time. Some people play with as little as 1% or 2% of their bankroll.

2. Don’t Micro-manage your Poker Bankroll

If you are playing online poker within your limits, there is very little risk of you going broke. Online poker allows you to keep track of your poker account with a simple click of the button. As a result, some players tend to keep checking their poker account every few minutes. This is tantamount to micro management and will not help your poker bankroll in any way. It’s all very well if you are on a winning streak – your bankroll is steadily increasing. However, a single loss will bring down that figure and watching your bankroll dwindle will cause unnecessary heartburn. Your first thought in such a situation will be to chase the loss – you want that number back and fast. To remedy the situation, you make the wrong moves by betting more than you ought to. This can take you on the path to self-destruction.

3. Be Serious about your Game

When you play online poker for real money, you must be serious about your decisions. Every decision has an impact on your poker bankroll and a small mistake will cost you heavily. When you play online poker, focus on the game and avoid distractions as much as possible. If you play without paying attention, you are likely to make mistakes. However, each person’s ability to multi task is different. Some might play online poker even while watching movies; others may need to shut out all distractions. Therefore, you must decide the best poker environment in which you can function optimally.

4. Consider your Human Needs

We are human beings and our body requires constant attention. If we don’t feel good, we don’t function optimally. Like we mentioned earlier, online poker requires focus and if you are not at your best, you cannot perform well at the tables. A number of human needs can affect your game. If you are hungry, your mind will not be on the game. Neither will you play your best game if you are exhausted or bored. Stress also has an important role to play in your well-being. If something is causing you stress, it is better not to hit the online poker tables. Setting up yourself as ergonomically as possible is crucial to your physical comfort. And, if you are comfortable, you give your best to your game.

5. Avoid Poker Tilt

This is easier said than done, but is a crucial factor if you want to conserve your online poker bankroll. Poker tilt is brought on by a number of factors that drives the best of players to make the worst moves. If you see signs of tilt coming on, the best course of action is to log off and do something that will take your mind off the game. Ignoring the signs will only compound the problem and ultimately you will lose more money than you expected.

A successful poker player following the above rules will be capable of maintaining a healthy online poker bankroll. Being diligent is the key. Even if you inadvertently break one of the rules, the downfall is sure to follow. It doesn’t take much to go broke when you play online poker, so your best option is to walk away and come back later with a fresh mind.